Cooling-bed for metal beams and rails



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, H. AIKEN. COOLING BED FOR METAL BEAMS AND RAILS.

No. 486,364. Patented Nov. 15, 1892'.

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I H. AIKEN.

COOLING BED FOR METKL BEAMS AND RAILS.

No.486,364. PatentedNo 15,1 892-..

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(No Model.) 11 Sheets-Sheet 4. H. AIKEN. COOLING BED-FOR METAL BEAMS ANDRAILS.

Patented Nov. 15, 1892'.

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' H. AIKEN. GOOLINQBBD FOR METAL BEAMS AND RAILS.- No. 486,364" PatehtedNov. 15,1892.

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11 sheets -sheet 7.

(NO Model.)

Patented Nov. 15", 1892.

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(No Model.) 11 Sheetv-Sheet 9.

H. A-IKEN GOOLING BED FOR MET-AL BEAMS AND RAILS.

Patented Nov. 15, 1892;

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(No Modl.)

H. AIKEN. :GOOLING BED FOR. METALBEAMS AND RAILS.

No. 486,364. Patented Nov. 15.1892.

INVENTOR THE Norms PETER; (20.. FNOTO-LITHQ; WASNINGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY AIKEN, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

COOLING-BED FOR METAL BEAMS AND RAILS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 486,364, dated November15, 1892.

Application filed April 6, 1891. Serial No. 387,788. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY AIKEN, of Pittsburg, in the county ofAllegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Cooling-Beds for Metal Beams and Rails, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, inwhich Figure 1 is a plan view of part of a railcooling plant embodyingmy invention. Fig. 1 is a similar view of the remainder thereof. Theseviews are shown separately because of the impracticability ofillustrating them on the small scale which would be required if theywere on a single sheet. Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of part of theapparatus opposite the dotted line II II in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is anenlarged plan view of that part of the apparatus opposite the dottedline III III in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the delivery end of oneof the cooling-beds. Fig. 5 is an elevation shown as in section on theline V V of Fig. 2. Fig. 0 is a similar view shown as in section on theline VI VI of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view. Fig. 7 is aside elevation of the receiving end of one of the cooling-beds, shown asin section on the line VII VII of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a similar Viewshowing the other end of the bed, being as if in section on the line VIIVII of Figs. 1 and 4. Fig. 8 is a vertical section on the line VIII VIIIof Figs. 3 and 7 showing one of the movable stops. Fig. 9 is an enlargedvertical cross-section on the line IX IX of Fig. 13, showing theconveying-chains. Fig. 10 is a plan view of that part ofthe apparatusopposite the lines X Xin Figs. 1 and 4. Fig. 11 is a side elevation ofFig. 10. (Shown partly in vertical section.) Fig. 12 is a plan view ofthat part of the apparatus opposite the line XII XII of Figs. 1 and 4.Fig. 13 is a side elevation of Fig. 12, partly in vertical section; andFig. 14 is a side elevation of the transfer device employed at the endof the bed opposite to the receiving end.

My apparatus comprises saws by which the rail as delivered from therolls is cut into sections and cooling-beds upon which the sections arethen transferred and on which they are gradually cooled, being movedindividually from one end to the other. At the end of the cooling-bedsthe rails are straightened by suitable straightening machinesor presses.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 1 2 2 represent the saws by which the rail iscut into lengths.

The number of these saws depends upon the number of the cooling-beds,hereinafter described, there being preferably one more of the saws thanof the beds. The long rail is delivered from the rolls upon thesaw-table 3 and by action of the saws is cut into a 3. At equalintervals along the feed-table are tables A B O D E, extending at rightangles to the feed-table and adapted to act as the cooling-beds for therails.

I shall now describe the construction of one of the cooling-beds. Thecooling-bed is made up of parallel rails 7 and pairs of parallel rails8, set nearto each other and adapted to act as guides for'two endlesschains 9: Only one of these chains is shown in Fig. 2, but a pair ofthem is indicated on each of the beds shown inFigs. 1 and 1. Theserails, as shown in Figs 2, 5, and 6, extend up to the frame of thefeed-rollers 4. At the end of the cooling-bed next the feed-rollers eachchain 9 passes around a sprocket-wheel 10 on a shaft 11, and at theother end of the cooling-bed itpasses around a sprocket-wheel 12 on ashaft 13. These sprocket-wheels and shafts are journaled on suitablesupporting-stands 14 and 15. The under side of the upper branch of Y thechain passes over a plate 9, set between the rails, which plate,together with the rails of the bed, are supported by rollers 16 onbracket 17, the function of which is to allow the plate-mid rails whichare fastened at one end to movewhen expanding with the heat, Fig. 9. Thelower branch of the chain passes over supporting-rollers 18. The chainismade up of links, as shown,and has outwardly-projecting spurs 19. Inorder to drive the chain I employ the following mechanism: 20 is a Ihydraulic cylinder situate at the table end of the cooling-bed andhaving a rod 2l-projecting from its piston or plunger and extending tothe delivery end of the bed, it being sup ported by a slide 22 and atsuitable intervals along its length by rollers 23, Figs. 5,7, 7, 10, and11. At the delivery end of the bed the rod 21 is pivotally connected toa double pawllever 24, which is loosely journaled on the shaft 13 and isprovided with a pivoted spring-backed pawl 25, engaging with the teethof a ratchet-w heel 25, keyed to said shaft. The consequence of thisconstruction is that as the rod 21 is moved backward and forward by thecylinder 20 it will swing the lever 24 and by the action of the pawlwill move the ratchet-wheel through an are equal to the space betweentwo adjacent teeth. This rotation of the ratchet-wheel will turn theshaft 13 and the sprocket-wheels 12, and will therefore move the endlesschains 9. The cylinder 20 is situate on the outer side of the feedtable,and, as shown in Figs. 2, 5, and 7, the rod 21 is provided with a rack26, which moves in guides 27, and is in gear with a pinion 28 onacross-shaft 29, journaled in suitable bearlugs 30. On the shaft 29 iskeyed a collar 31, having a projecting dog 32, Figs. 6 and 6', andadjacent thereto is a forked lever 33, journaled loosely on the shaftand having a cross-pin 34, adapted to be engaged by the dog 32 in therotation of the collar. Said lever 33 is connected bya link 35 with thearm 36 of a bell-crank lever pivoted at 38, the end of the other arm 37of which is adapted to engage and to act as alock to a ratchet-toothedwheel 39, keyed to the sprocket-wheel shaft 11.

The operation of the parts of the apparatus above described is asfollows: Suppose that the rod 21 and rack 26 are, as shown in Fig. 7, intheir most retracted position and that the operator desires to move theendless chains to feed the rails along the bed. Motive fluid is admittedto the cylinder 20, so as to project the plunger and the rod 21. At thedelivery end of the cooling-bed the effect of this is to swingthepawl-lever 24 outwardly and to cause the pawl 25 to take a fresh bite onthe next rear tooth of the ratchet-wheel. At the table end of the bedthe effect of the forward motion of the rack 26 is by means of thepinion 28 to rotate the shaft 29 and the collar 31 in the direction ofthe arrow a, Fig. 6. During the first revolution of this collar the dog32 moves idly; but at the end of such revolution it engages the pin 34and turns the lever 33, thereby raising the arm 36 of the elbow-leverand releasing the arm 37 from the ratchet-wheel 39. The fullextent ofrotation of the shaft produced by the action of the rack and pinion isabout onerevolution andaquarter. The operator then by means of thecontrolling-valve reverses the action of the hydraulic cylinder, so asto retract the plunger and the rod 21. The effect of this at thedelivery end of the cooling-bed is to swing the pawl-lever 24, Fig. 11,inwardly, thereby causing the pawl to turn the ratchet-wheel to theextent of one tooth and to turn the sprocketwheels 12 and to move thechains in the di rection of the arrows. At the other end of thecooling-bed the effect of the motion of the rack and pinion 26 28, Figs.5 and 7, is to turn the shaft 29 and collar 31, Figs. 6 and 6 in thedirection opposite to thatindicated by the arrow at. During the firstrevolution of the shaft the dog 32 moves idly; but when it reaches theend of the revolution it engages the pin 34, thereby moving the lever 33down wardly, depressing the arm 36 of the elbowlever and bringing thearm 37 into engagement with the wheel 39, thus locking the wheel andpreventing the pawl at the other end of the bed from moving the chainfarther than just the required distance. By this means I am enabled tostop the chain exactly at the position required, whereas without suchlocking device the expansion of the chain caused by the heat of therails on the bed would disturb its action and prevent it from performingits functions properly. I derive an important advantage from actuatingthe chains by driving-sprockets situate at their delivery ends, becausein this way the upper branches of the chains, being in a state oftension, are kept constantly taut, all their sagging being taken up bythe lower branches, which perform no work. In this way the action of thechains is kept uniform with relation to each other.

I shall now describe the means whichI employ for delivering the railsupon the cooling-bed from the feed-table. (See Figs. 2, 6, and 7 40 is ahorizontal rack, which is supported in suitable guides 41 at about thelevel of the surface of the feed-rollers and at the outer side thereof,said guides extending across the frame of the feed-table, as shown inFigs. 2 and 6. There are two of these racks and guides for each of thecooling-beds. They are preferably situate adjacently to the lines of thesprocket-chains. Each rack has a piv- IIO oted dog or projection 42,which extends above the level of the feed-table 4. To actuate this rack,I employ a pinion 43, which may be journaled loosely on thedriving-shaft 5' of the feed-rollers and which is driven by a gearwheel44 on the shaft 29. In the forward motion of the rack 26 the rotation ofthe shaft 29 and gear-wheels 43 and 44 will move the racks 40 forward inthe direction of the arrow b, Fig. 6, and the dogs 42, then engaging arail-section lying before them on the rollers of the feed-table, willpush it laterally upon the rails of the cooling-bed, as shown by thedotted dog 42 of Fig. 6. Then with the reverse motion of the rack 26 therack 40 and dog 42 will be retracted, and the motion of the end lesschains will cause the spurs 19 to engage the rail and to move it alongone space on the cooling-bed. Thus at each operation of the cylinder 20a rail is delivered to the coolingbed and together with the precedingrails is moved laterally along the bedfor a short distance. Each rail isseparated from the rails next adjacent and does not touch them, as inprior cooling-beds, where the rails are moved en masse. This is a veryimportant feature of my apparatus and I believe is broadly new. Wherethe rails are in contact the proximity of a hot rail to a colder one isapt to cause it to warp, and thus to distort it or to impart to itinternal strains, which permanently impair its efficiency. When the bedhas become full of rails, each forward motion of the chains will delivera rail down the inclined rails 8 of the delivery end of the bed, Figs. 4and 7 upon a frame 45, situate adjacently to the straightening-press.

When the rail is delivered upon the frame 45, it is cold and is incondition to be taken by the workman and straightened at the press.

' I shall now describe the manner in which the sections of the rails arecarried by the table 4 opposite to and stopped in position to bedelivered upon the cooling-beds. At the end of the feed-table 4 is apermanent-stop 46, and between rollers of the table opposite to the farside of each of the cooling-beds is a stop 47, Figs. 1, 1, 3, 7, and 8,adapted to be moved into and out of operative position. The constructionof the stops 47 is shown in Figs. 3, 7, and 8 Each consists of a plateor bar 47, supported by a frame 48, fixed to a rotary shaft 49 andcounterweighted by a weight 50. 7 51 is an arm projecting from the framean adapted to engage a stop 52 when the frame is in an upright position,as shown in Fig. 8.

53 is a downwardly-projecting lever connected by links 54 and a rod 55to a crankarm 56 on a rotary shaft 57, having an operating-lever 58, bywhich it may be rotated. By motion of this leverthe stop may be raisedto the elevated position shown in Fig. 8, or may be turned so that itshall be lowered below the level of the feed-table. The stop-bar 47 isnot rigidly attached to its frame, but is backed by a spring 59, whichacts as a cushion when the end of the rail strikes the stop. Each of thestops 47 is provided with operating mechanism, as described above, andthe several shafts 57 and levers 58 are preferably arranged in a group,as shown in Fig. 3, so as to be within easy control of one operator. Atthis same place are also arranged the valve-lever 60 of the engine 6 andthe hydraulic valves necessary for operating the several motors.

When the rail is sawed into several sec tions, asdescribed above, thesesections, after passing through a cambering-machine M, are delivered tothe feed-rollers 4. The first one is carried by the rollers until itreaches the permanent stop 46 at the end of the table, by which it isarrested opposite the cooling-bed E. The stop 47 at the far side of thenext cooling-bed D is then raised soas to engage the end of the nextrail-section and to stop it opposite said bed. The stop at the bed 0 isthen raised, so as to stop the next rail-section at this bed, and thusthe stops are elevated in succession, so as to arrest each oftherailsections beforeone of the beds. The several transfer mechanismsmay then be actuated simultaneously, so as to deliver the rails upon andmove them along the beds, or they may be actuated separately, as may bemore convenient. For controlling the several motors 20 I employ thevalves 61, (indicated in Fig. 3,)

there being one valve for each motor, so that they may be operatedseparately. I also prefer to employ an extra valve 62, which is coupledwith all the motors and is adapted to actuate them simultaneously.

'As shown in Figs. 1 and 1, the straightening-presses P are near theends of the respective cooling-beds, and the rails are delivered intoconvenient proximity to said presses. In case one or more of the bedsshould be out of repair or for any reason should not be used it may bedesirable to use one or more of the other beds to do double duty incooling rails for the press at the idle bed. For this purpose I employsupplemental conveying mechanism consisting, preferably, of a line offeedrollers 63, extending transversely at the ends of the beds. Afterthe rails have been delivered on the receiving-frames 45 they orasuitable number of them may be placed upon this line of rollers andconveyed to any of the presses. The rollers may be driven by suitabledriving mechanism actuated from any convenient motor. In order totransfer the rails from the frames 45 upon the rollers 63 or upon theframes from the rollers, I may employ at each frame the mechanism shownin Figs. 4 and 14. At the end of each frame-45 is a shaft 64, journaledin bearings 65, and to said shaft are fixed upwardly-extending yokes 66,having on opposite sides of the shaft arms 67, pivoted to the yoke atthe points 68 and connected by rods 69 with a spring 7 O, the tendencyof which is to spread the arms 67, as shown in Fig. 7 For the purposeofrocking the shaft 64 I employ a hydraulic cylinder 71, whose piston-rodisconnected with a rack 72 in gear with a pinion 73 on the shaft. Whenthus constructed, it is clear that if the piston-rod be projected orretracted it will rock the shaft 64 and will swing the yokes 66 in onedirection or the other. When the yoke is swung to the right from theposition shown in Fig. 7, the lefthand arm 67 will engage the rail whichmay be on the rollers 63 and will transfer it upon the frame 45. Whenthe yoke is swung in the other direction, the right-hand arm 67 willsimilarly engage a rail on the frame 45 and transfer it to the rollers63. Because of the fact that the arms are pivoted, as shown, they willmove past any rails which they may meet on the reverse motions. Theleft-hand arm 67 is preferably made longer than the other, so that inits motion to the right it may engage any rail lying on the inclinedrails 8' and may move it upon the frame 45.

74 is a frame, which may be composed of angle-iron, the purpose of whichis to confine and limit the motion of the arms 67 The pivoting of thesearms permits the yoke to move even after they have engaged the frame.There are preferably two of the yokes on the shaft 64, as shown in Fig.4.

Some of the advantages of my improvement have been indicated in theforegoing specification. Others will suggest themselves to those skilledin the art.

The apparatus is very effective in its action and enables the rails tobe handled rapidly and conveniently and with the least possible labor.

The continuous operation of the apparatus and the separating of therails into groups on thecooling-beds make the work easy and rapid. Therails are delivered singly to the men at the straighteningpresses incold condition just as they are needed, and the men are not hampered bythe simultaneous delivery of a mass of rails, as with prior apparatus.

The drawings represent the apparatus as it has been constructed forpractical use and is, I think, in its most desirable form; but I do notwish to limit myself thereto, since modifications in form andconstruction and arrangement of the parts may be made by the skilledmechanic familiar with mill machinery and with the various devices usedas equivalents to perform like functions.

It will be understood that my apparatus is adapted for use not only in arail-mill, but also for cooling metal beams, &c.

I claim 1. An apparatus for cooling metal rails, 850., comprising a bedconstructed to cool the rails and a carrier arranged to move them alongthe bed, said carrier having series of projections, by which the railsare separated from each other while cooling, substantially as and forthe purposes described.

2. An apparatus for cooling metal rails, 850., comprising a bedconstructed to cool the rails, a carrier arranged to move them along thebed, said carrier having projections by which the rails are separatedfrom each other while cooling, and driving mechanism constructed toactuate the carrying mechanism in success ive steps of limited extent,substantially as and for the purposes described.

3. An apparatus for cooling rails, 850., comprising a bed provided withmeans for cooling the rails, endless conveying-chains arranged to movethe metal along the bed, said chains having projecting separated spurs,and wheels upon which the chains are carried, substantially as and forthe purposes described.

4. The combination, with a cooling-bed, of an endless conveying-chainprovided with means for moving the metal, sprocket-wheels around whichthe chain passes, driving-gear acting on one sprocket-wheel, and a lockfor the other sprocket-wheel, substantially as and for the purposesdescribed.

5. The combination, with a cooling-bed, of an endless conveying-chainprovided with means for moving the metal, sprocket-wheels around whichthe chain passes, driving-gear consisting of a pawl and ratchet actingon the sprocket-wheel at the delivery end and arranged to move the chainto a limited extent, and a lock for the other sprocket-wheel,substantially as and for the purposes described.

6. The combination, with a cooling-bed, of an endless conveying-chainprovided with means for moving the metal, sprocket--wheels around whichthe chain passes, driving-gear acting on the sprocket-Wheel at thedelivery end and arranged to move the chain to a limited extent, a lock,and a motor connected both with the driving-gear and the lock, substantially as and for the purposes described.

7. The combination, with a cooling-bed, of an endless conveying-chainprovided with means for moving the metal, sprocket-wheels around whichthe chain passes, a pawl and ratchet acting on the sprocket-wheel at thedelivery end of the bed, a lock-wheel and detent at the othersprocket-wheel, and a motor situate at the receiving end of the bed andhaving a rod actuating said pawl and me chanically connected with thedetent, said rod being arranged to actuate the pawl in its motion in onedirection and to actuate the detent in its motion in the otherdirection, substantially as and for the purposes described.

8. The combination, with the bed, of the sprocket-wheel and a chainpassing thereover, a stop-wheel upon the sprocketwheel shaft, a detentarranged to engage the stop-wheel, a rotary shaft having a projectionthereon,and a lever operated by said projection and connected to thedetent, substantially as and for the purposes described.

9. The combination of the feed-table, the cooling-bed extendingtherefrom and having an endless conveying-chain provided with means formoving the metal, the transfer device for moving the rail from thefeed-table to the cooling-bed,actuating mechanism for the chain, and amotor mechanically connected with the transfer device and with thechain-actuating mechanism and constructed to drive them alternately,substantially as and for the purposes described.

10. The combination of the feed-table, the cooling-bed extendingtherefrom and having an endless conveying-chain provided with means formoving the metal, the transfer device for moving the rail from thefeed-table to the cooling-bed, actuating mechanism for the chain, amotor mechanically connected with the transfer device and with thechainactuating mechanism and constructed to drive them alternately, anda lock for the chain, said lock being mechanically connected with themotor and adapted to be moved thereby into locking position at the endof the motion of the chain, substantial] y as and for the purposesdescribed.

11. The combination of the feed-table and conveying-chain provided withmeans for moving the metal, a rack-bar having a projection adapted tomove across the table, driving-gear for the chain, and a hydrauliccylinder mechanically connected with said driving-gear and connected bygearing with said rack and constructed to operate said parts alternatelyon its forward and backward strokes, substantially-as and for thepurposes described.

12. The combination of the saws adapted to divide a rail into sections,a feed-table 4, leading from the saws, several series of bedsconstructed to cool thesections, extending transversely to thefeed-table, conveying mechanism for the cooling-beds, having projectionsarranged to separate the rails, and straightening-presses at the ends ofthe cooling-beds, substantially as and for the purposes described. 7

13. The combination, with a feed-table, of a movable stop consisting-ofa pivotally-supported spring-backed bar and mechanism for raising saidstop above the level of the table, substantially as and for the purposesdescribed.

14. The combination of the cooling-bed, a frame adjacent thereto, uponwhich the rails are delivered therefrom, conveying mechanism havingrollers 63, extending along the end of the bed, and transfer mechanismfor shifting the rails from the frame to the conveying mechanism, orvice versa, substantially as and for the purposes described.

15. The combination of the cooling-bed, a frame adjacent thereto,uponwhich I the rails are delivered therefrom, conveying mechanism extendingalong theend of the bed, and a rocking yoke between the conveyingmechanism and the frame and having arms adapted to shift the rails fromthe frame to the. conveying mechanism, or vice versa, substantially asand for the purposes described.

16. The combination, withv the conveying mechanism and frame adjacentthereto, of the rocking yoke between the same, said yoke having pivotedarms, means for preventing movement of the arms in one direction, andmeans for rocking the yoke, substantially as and for the purposesdescribed.

17. The combination, with the conveying mechanism, of the rocking yoke66, having pivoted arms, means for preventing movement of the arms inone direction, mechanism for rocking the yoke, and a frame 74,containing the yoke, substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I havehereunto set my hand this 27th day ofFebruary, A. D. 1891.

HENRY AIKEN.

